How was your Fourth?

Independence Day is celebrated in the United States on the Fourth of July, a time for parades, remembrance, barbecue and relaxation.

For the first time in years, it was a cold July 4th. Every year I start my day with a two mile parade in over ninety degree weather. As we march past houses where families wave flags and sit in beach chairs, many homeowners spray the band with their hose. Water isn't good for the instruments, music, or our uniforms, but some years it's felt really good anyway. This year, we would have froze. But, the rain held off until the end, where cheerleaders put on a show for the reviewing stand, delaying the parade. When we began moving again, I felt the first few drops of rain.

The water amounted to very little. Back at the firehouse, I grabbed a soda and some hot dogs before my dad and I headed out. I was cautious at the first corner we reached, because two years ago my dad was driving and we were clipped at that intersection by a minivan, an accident we survived though our car ultimately did not. I noticed “30 MPH” is now painted in giant letters in the street, but there are still no stop signs, only on the cross streets. We crossed safely.

After I got home and took a very brief nap, I headed out to a barbecue. By the end of the day, I had eaten quite a bit. Counting the two hot dogs from the morning, I had five hot dogs, a cheeseburger, three beers, innumerable chips, a lemon meringue pie, and two donuts. I'm about to put a world of hurt on a treadmill in the near future.

One day off in the middle of the week, especially with the odd cold and rain, has really thrown off my sense of time. Is it Thursday? Sunday? Monday? Whatever day of the week it is, the sound of fireworks well into the night definitely tell me what time of the year it is. What is it about dead end streets? Well past 1 AM things were exploding in my neighborhood. At my friend's barbecue, as it got dark, not only was there a show at the end of his street, but at the end of other neighboring streets as well. I'll bring the experience to you now, along with a special behind-the-scenes “revelation” about a new secret J.J. Abrams project...



Note the confidence with which I deliver the current fake working title. Here are some real fireworks:





Finally, B13 returned the favor for an earlier photo I helped him with, though I don't have a story to go with mine. You have to admire the patriotism, though.